Operating systems in modern computing devices implement logic to manage power states of various components and to lock-down access to the computing device. One part of the implemented logic concerns a proximity of a user with respect to a computing device.
Many existing computing devices rely solely on detecting input from a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch screen, or other input device by which a presence of a human being may be inferred. Each time a computing device detects the input, a timer may be started. The timer may be set for a time period, such as, for example, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or another time period. Upon expiration of the timer, the computing device determines that a human being is not present at the computing device. However, a human being may be present and using a computing device with long periods of input inactivity. For example, a user may perform activities including, but not limited to, reading content or watching a video without providing any input. In such situations, the computing device may wrongly determine that the user is not present. As a result, various features of the computing device, which depend on making a determination regarding whether a human being is present or not present within a given proximity of the computing device, may not provide a consistent user experience.